Music Soothes The Savage Beast
by winkatthesun
Summary: It all happened because he had gotten a glimpse of her strange hair color that he had first laid eyes on Umi. Never in his whole lifetime had he seen hair likes her's. GaaraxOC    Was originally named "Through The Window"
1. Chapter 1

_ "I had met her by accident, I wasn't really supposed to know her, a monster like me doesn't deserve friends but I had stumbled upon her once, just outside her window. I was smaller back then so I would have to stand on the tip of my toes just to peek into the room. The image of the room will always be forever imprinted in my mind. The walls were colored in a peach cream, pictures of oceans framed around in every different shape, and the most famous of all the grand piano that was centered right in the room."_

_ "I remember that day where I felt a slight breeze run through my hair and enter the window flowing in and made her ocean blue hairs sway. She paid no mind to it though as her fingers hovered over the keys, her eyes were closed and just as easy her pale fingertips touched one key and that was the day I first heard her play. Music flowed out of the keys and poured out to the room. I tilted my head, using my left ear to hear closer and sudden calm swept over me that left me lightheaded almost and all that was in the world was her and I, her piano with her."_

_ "My head, __uncontrollably__, swayed gently from side to side lost into the meaning behind the music. Wisps of hair moved along with her gentle nodding, lips parted midway and that day I thought, "Why isn't anyone stopping to hear her?"" _


	2. Chapter 2

"I'll be back later Yashamaru-san!" Sabuko no Gaara yelled, still slipping on his sandals at the doorway. "Come back safely!" His uncle yelled back but Gaara was out before Yashamaru had even finished. 'I wonder where that child goes so excitedly everyday.' He pondered the thought. Meanwhile, Gaara moved behind the houses as swift and as silent as a cat not wanting to feel the stares of the fellow villagers today. A smile was placed on his lips, his small feet hit the sandy pavement as he made his way to the small, white house that was just three blocks from his own house. Ducking through an alleyway that is in between two houses, he turned right and continued running. As soon as he saw the white house he stopped and checked himself. Combed hair, Check, Face clean, Check. As soon as he was behind the house he took his usual place and stood on the tip of his toes, the new height allowing him to peer into the room.

Gaara could see her perfectly from this angle. She sat on at wooden stool, her white dress fell lightly over her small body while her feet were bare on the wooden floor. Her hands held a violin, the bow poised over it looking as if it was her sword and the violin her shield. He had gotten just in time because as soon as he had peered in she began to play. The bow was drawn upon the strings and a loud wail passed through Gaara's ears. Tears sprang to the corner of his eyes and soon they clouded his vision. Images of his mother passed through his head, his father peering down on him with disgust, his siblings never to close to him. The salty water ran down his cheeks but he stood there, staring at her almost as if hypnotized by her hand movements. "Meow" Gaara shrieked, as he tumbled down on the sand, his eyes wide open while his sand shield hovered over his head. A black cat tilted it's small head as it stared down on the small boy, its red bow around its neck hung closely and a long, white tail whipped back and forth.

"Ongaku-chan, you have scared our guest" He stared at her in amazement. She was talking and talking to him! Not only that but this was the first time he had seen her eyes, a silver/blue color that, again, didn't seem as if they belong here in the middle of the desert. "Hello chibi-kun, are you the one that has been watching me this whole time?" She rested her arms on the window sill, her head in between them. Gaara stood up and glared at the silver eyes. "I'm not small" She tilted her head to the right, matching the small cat now. "Well, may I know your name?" Gaara's eyes widen. Everyone knew who he was or a least knew what he was and that alone conjured up a name. "I-I'm Sabuko no Gaara" She moved her head towards the left now, eyes studying his. "I don't like your name, I'll leave it at chibi-kun" She disappeared from his view and into the house, the cat following with a graceful leap. "Hey! W-wait!" He stood on his tip toes and peered into the room but didn't see her. "Would you like to come inside?" He turned and saw she held the door open for him. "Are you sure?" He asked timidly.

No one had ever asked him to come into their house. "Uh-huh, come on" She leaned over to grab his hand but the sand blocked her before she even got to touch him. She tilted her head once again and studied his hand. "Interesting" She disappeared once again into the house but all Gaara did was stand at the doorway. Music had started again but this time it was on the piano. A feeling of calm entered Gaaras body and his heartbeat slowed down almost as if he was in a sleep sort of state. He took one step forward and then another one and finally entered the house. It was all white yet the pictures on the walls gave the four walls life. Pictures of oceans and fishes of all sorts of colors swam around the room, birds that were most commonly found at sea were topped on the very top of the wall. It was a dream that he had never even thought of, being here was almost as if being near the ocean. In another room to his left was where the Piano he had seen so much and as he stood on the doorway he looked at the young girl who had her eyes closed and seemed to be engulfed in her music. The cat stared at Gaara with large green eyes but its tail moved to the beat of the song almost as if it understood the melody. "Umi-chaaaan, I'm home" The music stopped aburtly. "Hey, whose this?" A figure stood behind Gaara, his head moved back allowing him to stare upwards at the woman. Her brown hair fell down to her shoulders and a pair of sunglasses covered her eyes, and she wore a large grin that showed him square white teeth. As Gaara studied her he came to the conclusion that it must be Umi's older sister seeing how she was so young. The woman walked over to Umi and enveloped her in a hug, swishing her around as if she was a ragdoll. Gaara let out a giggle as he saw the childs half closed eyes, probably because she was used to this type of greeting.

"Okaa-san you haven't introduced yourself to our guest" For the third time today, he had been both amazed and shocked. The woman stopped and looked back at Gaara, grinning as she stretched Umi's cheeks in a comical way. "Hi, chibi-kun! I'm Kyoko Muryo, nice to meet 'cha" Gaara was confused of the relationship between the two. He's seen many mothers before with their children but they never acted like this. He didn't have personal experience with a mother but he and his uncle talked about her from time to time but these two acted more like sisters then mother and daughter. "Shall I get started on lunch then?" Kyoko looked at her daughter and shrugged. "I'm not hungry really but I'm gonna take a nap and then you'll play for me ok?" Umi nodded and her mother left, yawning. "Would you like something to eat, chibi-kun?" His left eye twitched. THAT they had in common. "No thank you" Gaara mumbled, still not used to talking to someone other then his uncle, he barely spoke with his own siblings much less villegers. "Well how bout we go out and play? Its been a while since I have gone to the playground" Gaara grinned at the thought of having someone to play with. She smiled down at the smaller boy, since she had a few inches over him, for whether or not they actually said it, they each had made their first true friends.

Hello and if your reading this than I thank you very much for reading the second chapter of "Music Soothes The Savage Beast". Just a little side note here, if your wondering why Umi (which means Ocean) told Gaara she didn't like his name is because the name "Gaara" is made up of three Kanji, "Ga" (meaning I or me), "A" (more commonly "Ai" meaning love), and "Ra" (used here to mean a demon). Added together, they can mean "I only love myself. I'm a demon." Let's face it, if Gaara with what, 6 or 8 years old around this time, stood in front of you would you think that "Gaara" would be a suitable name for a child? Especially one as cute as him? I think not :)


	3. Chapter 3

~~~ 7 years later (Gaara: age 13, Umi: age 15)

Blue hair whipped through the hot air as feet encased in wooden sandles hopped from roof to roof. Her blue kimono clung to her forming figure, the slits on the side cooled down her body as the desert heat beat down on it. On her back three scrolls, a small, medium, and large, stayed put even at her ferocious speed. Silver eyes moved to the left and she smirked, pushing her feet even farther. The entrence to the village could be seen, thats where she was supposed to meet her sensei but a blur passed her and moved ahead of her. The smirk turned into a grin even though she knew she had lost this time. Umi jumped and landed on the ground gracefully almost with the quality of a feline. Her eyes looked over her team members but landed on a specific one. "Not bad...Gaara-kun" His arms were crossed over his chest but those turquoise eyes held a look of satisfaction.

Baki, the teams sensei, cleared his throat stopping the staring contest between the two friends. "Well since were all here then lets get going, it takes about three days to get to Konoha to lets get a move on" Just as the shinobis turned to begin their journey a voice called out to them. Umi's silver eyes stared at the forming figure with confusion as she walked towards it. "Umi-chaaaan! Waaait!" Umi let out a long sighed and stopped the woman before she got any further. "Okaa-san what are you doing here? Did I leave something?" The woman looked at her daughter and tears began forming on the edges of her eyes. She wrapped her arms around the growing child and said, "I'm going to miss you thats all! Your going to be away for so long!" Her mother cried on her chest, seeing as Umi was now a few inches taller than her. "Uhm Kyoko-san, we really have to go" Baki commented but Kyoko looked over Umi's shoulder and glared at the man with only a glare a mother could master. Her brown eyes moved over to Gaara and she seemed to grow wide with teary eyes.

"Chibi-kuuun!" Umi's eye twitched as her mother ran over to where Gaara stood, large chibi teared eyes with her arms outstretched. She jumped on him, hugging his chest and wrapping her legs around his waist all the meanwhile remaining in chibi form. "Waaaah! Chibi-kun! You better bring her back without a scratch! You two better take care of each other and when you come back I'll..I'll..I'll make you two some toast!" Umi sighed and pulled her mother off her best friend. Still holding her, she patted her mothers head and hugged her one last time.

"Okaa-san, you can't even make toast. As soon as we get back I'll cook for all of us ok?" Kyoko nodded wipping her eyes roughly. "Now make sure to have someone escort you to Konoha for when the last exam takes place" Kyoko once again nodded and waved as her daughter turned and ran with her team.

~~ Arriving at Konoha

"Wow, I had seen pictures of Konoha but I never thought it could be this beautiful" Umi glanced at the surrounding plants, never seeing this much her entire life. Her eyes wondered over to her best friend whose bland face stared ahead, not showing a single emotion on that pale face of his. Their teammates were ahead of them and so was their sensei so taking the chance she moved closer to him and whispered in his ear, "Hey chibi-kun, later on when we go to the hotel let's venture out and explore, ne?" Umi smiled when his face showed recognition of his nickname she had given him which she didn't use all that much now that they were older, but every now and then she let him hear it. He looked at her for a few seconds, letting her know that he was listening, and said just a single word, "Alright" Gaara had changed over the years, too much for her liking, but she had dealt with it knowing what had happened with Yashamaru wasn't easy on him. What had kept him from truly going insane was her music and her spirit.

(Flashback)

_She giggled at something he had told her. They sat on the roof of his house, the night air pebbling their skin but the two didn't care. Her violin laid behind them, practice for her had ended an hour ago and as always Gaara had accompanied her and listened to her (and secretly wanted to play with her also) so ever patient he waited for her those two hours and when she had finished he had taken to his house. He introduced his friend to his shocked Uncle who had never heard of Gaara making a friend. _

_"Yashamaru-oji-san! This is Umi-chan and she's my friend!" Was how the small red headed boy introduced the two. Gaara had then shown her his room, which due to the darkness of it she disliked very much and had commented on that one day she would paint the room over with white and cover every inch with pictures and colorful toys. He had laughed and tugged her hand, taking her around the house showing where he ate or where he liked to sit at even the most minimal things such as the sofa or the books on the shelves. After they had eaten, they headed upstairs to the roof and talked about their life and how in a way they were similar. The wind had died down and the two stared at the night sky that is until Gaara's sand shield flew upwards and covered the two children._

_6 kunai's had hit the sand and had fallen to the ground with soft *klinks*. Gaara turned around surprised and saw a masked ninja holding another 6 kunai's in the air. Gaara's eyes narrowed, anger clearly showing in his expression and with that he turned and lifted the sand to block the attack all the meanwhile Umi sat there shaking with tears in her eyes. He was scaring her, she had never seen him like this before. His hand shot out in front of his body, the sand following the movement and wrapped itself around the faceless ninja and when his hand closed into a tight fist the sand exploded from the inside, blood splattering everywhere. Umi let out a small shriek as the blood landed on her violin also with hearing the body's loud THUMP as it dropped hard on the ground. _

_"Who are you?" He asked in a scared voice. Her eyes lifted just as he knelt down and removed the mask but with his body in the way she couldn't see who it was. "Gaara-kun, who is-" Gaara let out a blood curtailing scream and cried out in pain, his fingernails digging on the ground. "Gaara-kun please, its ok!" Her words were not heard though. His sand shot up and dug on the left side of his forehead, ingraining the Kanji sign "Ai" deep within his skin. Gaara's nose flared as he took in oxygen remembering his Uncles words._

_"You have my sister's love in you"_

_No one loved him. He was a monster that didn't deserve to be lov-_

_The waves of a violin hit his ears, not allowing him to finish the thought. The sound so sad that it made him stop and listened. He knew who was playing it and as he turned towards her his eyes grew wide. Tears ran down Umi's cheeks as she grounded her teeth, eyes closed as if in pain. She didn't know what to do to stop him, this was the only idea she had come up with and when Gaara let out another scream, this one sounding as if it came out from a demon trying to escape the pits of hell, he fell unto his knees with teary eyes and a bleeding forehead. She opened her bloodshot eyes and stared at the little boy who was just two years younger than her. Umi begged her legs to work but still a bit shaken up they didn't so she continued to play. All her feelings, all her emotions, all her THOUGHTS were brought into this song and as Gaara cried she cried with him, she being there for him was what made him sane._

_When her song finished she had taken a step forward and then another and then another until she was in front of him their tears mixing together. She knelt down and planted her hands on his cheeks, bringing his face to hers and brought his forehead to hers, noses touching as their lips quivered. _

_"Gaara-kun, please stop crying, please" Her voice whispered. "No one loves me, no one" He cried out as he clutched his chest right where his heart is. She grabbed his hand and clutched it. "There are people that love you! My mother and I do! Gaara-kun please, please, stop"_

(End of Flashback)

Her face soften at the memory. She had offered to him that maybe he should stay at her house from now on and he complied but once his father had found out he had declared that Gaara and her were not allowed to see each other anymore and threatened that if they did Umi would have been sentenced to death. Of course, this deal had gone only for two months because when the Kazekage had heard that Umi had actually calmed him down he had it made that the two had to be together in everything. School, training, even the same teams when they passed the academy but Umi didn't like the new Gaara. It was as if those two months he had forgotten everything and had turned into a human shell. His body worked but yet there was no soul inside him. It had taken her awhile but slowly (and frustratingly) he spoke with her, very few words, but she hang on to them as if they were her last chance of breathing in oxygen.

She sighed and walked alongside her friend, never leaving his side. It was a promise she had made him one day at the academy when they were just about to graduate.

_"You'll see Sabaku no Gaara! I'll never leave your side and that's a promise I'm making you as your best friend!"_

Till this very day she had kept her promise and she had no intention on breaking it. "Umi-san! They need your ID here in the front" Temari yelled out. Umi gave her ID to the leaf ninja's in the front and gave her the OK to go in, her mouth hung down in surprise as she stared at the village around her. Everything had so much life, so much color! The buildings were next to each other and looked so warm and homey, the streets were full with people both young and old that walked around shopping or playing. "Kyaaah! Sensei, sensei please let me explore!" Umi turned around and gave Baki the best puppy eyes she could give. Baki stared her trying hard to say no but he just sighed and rubbed his temples. "I want you back in the hotel by nightfall and remember to take your ID's!" Even before he finished she was already running, dragging Gaara along with her.

Passing by many stores she stopped and looked at each one, taking in the smells and the sounds. Never once being out of the Sand Village this was a whole new experience for both. "Umi" Hearing her name she stopped in her tracks, one foot posed to take another step while the other was firmly on the ground, and turned to Gaara who was just a foot away from here. "Yes?" He stared at her then lowered his gaze to her hand which held his. She blinked once then twice still not understanding. "I'm capable of following you without you having to hold my hand as if I was some child" She smiled and closed the gap between them, their hands touching both their chests. "Aw come on chibi-kun, this is just like old times" He averted her gaze. Umi was a master at persuasion and he wasn't about to fall for it.

Her smile turned into a smirk, silver/blue eyes tested sea foam ones. Taking it a step further she entwined her fingers with his, giving his hand a squeeze but she saw anger in his face and then she knew she had taken it to far. His fingers lashed out from hers and he moved away from her with his hands crossed against his chest. "Get what you want and lets go" She sighed and ran her fingers through her bangs. "Hey watch out!" Umi turned and saw three little kids speeding their way. Holding out her hand, she stopped the kid in the middle with her two fingers. He toppled over to the ground, glaring up at the sand ninja. "Hey you old hag! What do you think your doing?" Umi stared at the kid, anger quickly rising. Her face turned red, her nostrils flared, and her eyes grew big. "Who you calling an old hag you snot nosed kid?" She grabbed his collar and held him up. "Hey-Hey! You better treat me good! My grandfather is the Hokage!" Umi glared at him and brought down her fist on his head. "I don't care if he was your grandmother!"

His two other team members rushed towards him and helped him up. "Konohamaru are you alright?" The little girl asked. "I'm fine, that didn't hurt one bit!" Umi scoffed as she rubbed her shoulder. "Yeah right, says the bump on your head right?" The kid glared at her but his expression lifted a bit. "You guys! We have to go! Naruto said we'll get to play with him today! Lets go!" The kids ran around her and headed down the street. "Stupid brats. Gaara-kun lets go back to the hotel" She turned but the red headed boy wasn't there. "Ooh Baki-sensei is going to kill me"

I'm sorry this chapter looks so weird (the font I mean) I seriously don't know how to use this site so sometimes the story comes out weird /: Hope you like it!


	4. Chapter 4

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LOST HIM?" Baki yelled out. I sat on the chair rocking it back and forth, a bored expression laid on my face. "Ok look I didn't lose him, he just disappeared when I turned around" Baki paced from one side of the room to the other clearly stressed. "Not even a whole day that we've been here and Gaara is already missing. Do you not remember what Lord Kazekage told you? Your are to remain at his side at all times! If he decides to lose control-" "Shut up" Baki turned around with wide eyes as he heard Gaara's voice."G-gaara where were you?" Gaara walked in the room, Kankuro and Temari followed like two sad puppies behind their master. "I had to interfere between these two before they made a fool of themselves" I looked up and stared at the boy. "Gaara-kun, why don't we share a room tonight?" I received terrified looks from our teammates though their looks were insignificant to me. I never bothered with them much and from the few times I have actually talked to them I would probably get most along with Kankuro.

I giggled because knowing him he probably wanted to roll his eyes at me or tell me I was stupid for asking such a dumb question but I just followed behind him as he headed towards a room. It was spacious to say the least, a little plain, but I didn't really care. I took of my scrolls and laid them on the wooden desk near the bathroom, I kicked my sandals off near the bed and untied my long, blue obi. "Do you have to undress while I'm here?" I slid of my kimono, my skin bristling at the cold air that came through the window. "Your not looking so of course I don't mind" I turned and walked over to him, he stood by the window looking out at the village, and planted my chin on his left shoulder. "Does my half being naked make you uncomfortable?" The edge of his lip curved

into a smirk. "Go take a bath. I want you to play something for me" I smiled at his words. He could be so childish at times, I loved it though because it showed he was still a child at heart. "Ok, ok but do me the favor of staying in the room. I don't want sensei yelling at me again" I felt his head turn as I opened the door that led to the bathroom. "I won't make any promises"

**/x/**

"Ugh! Its so damn hot in here!" I let out a frustrated scream. The ninjas around us glared over to our table but most of the men just stared, leaving me the option of looking back at them with a glare of my own. It was hot here and I had let my kimono a bit open. So what? Its not like they've never seen cleavage before! The door opened and as if on cue everyone turned, including myself, to check out the competition. A blonde head bobbled with it was a leaf village headband that adorned the forehead of the holder. Next to him was a girl with pink hair and on his other side was a boy with blue hair. There were more but I wasn't interested in them only the blonde was who caught my eye. 'Hm, I wonder..' I quickly did a one hand sign and I felt the familiar pulse that started on the tip of my head all the way down to my toes. Behind my eyes, everyone turned black but different colors lifted off them looking a bit like mist that hovered their body's. Each and every person had a different color except two people in this room.

Those two was the blonde in the front... and Gaara. I smiled, instantly knowing what this meant. Even though Gaara's orange color was dim the blondes was every where which meant that he wasn't fully aware of the power that his demon held. I stood up and made my way over to the small group of Konoha genin. "Hey blondie!" He looked away from the cards some kid was showing him and turned towards me, one by one they all did. I leaned down and stared at his blue eyes which in my opinion were gorgeous. "Hey buddy my eyes are up here" I giggled as I hooked my index finger under his chin and lifted his vision from my chest to my eyes. His face was flushed but I just smiled kindly at him, the orange around him grew wilder. "Hi, my names Umi, what's yours?" It had taken him a while but he looked at me straight in the eye and said, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I'm going to be the next Hokage, believe it!" His grin was so addicting that I grinned back.

I was starting to like the kid and to any normal eye, the the outer difference was noticeable between Gaara and him but their eyes, something reflected off of them, yet I just couldn't pinpoint on what it was. "Your a sand ninja right?" The one with the blue hair asked. "Ooh you know how to read my forehead protector, I guess they don't call you an Uchiha prodigy for nothing, ne?" I smiled but his glare made me laugh. Bring my eyes back to the blonde, I patted his head and cocked my head to the right. "Hey Naruto-kun, your kind of small aren't you? Do you mind if I call you chibi-kun?" Naruto chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. "Sure Onee-chan! No one's ever given me nickname before!" I scanned his face and I smiled sadly. His features were so innocent and carefree, reminding my of Gaara back when he was like that, when we would play together and he would forget about the world outside.

I removed my hand from his head and nodded, turning around and going back to the table my teammates were in. "See you around... chibi-kun" When I sat where I had sat before, Gaara stared at me intently almost to the point where I thought he was burning holes on me. "If you have something to say, Gaara-kun just say it" He brought his face closer to me and just to toy with him I turned and looked at him square in the eye. "Why did you call him that? That's my name" I smirked. Was this jealousy I smelled? I cocked head to the left, changeling him for mere fun. "Aww Gaara-kun, you'll always be my chibi-kun. I hope you don't think blondie will get in the way of our love right?" His glare intensified and I even saw his gourd shake a little but he turned away and hopped off the desk. "Don't use that word ever again"

I could be a real bitch sometimes.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey Onee-chan!" I rose up from my crouched position and turned around, looking to where an orange blur came towards me. "Hey chibi-kun, what are you up to so early in the morning?" Naruto grinned and pressed his hand next to his mouth, as if he was about to reveal a big secret. "Actually, I'm playing hide-n-seek with a few friends of mine but I have to be really quiet" I felt the sweat drop appear behind my head. Wasn't he the one who scream at ME? I opened my arms and brought him into a bone crushing hug. "You are SO cute!" Naruto giggled and I smirked, realizing no matter how cute he was, he was still a pervert. "So do you want to play with us Onee-chan?" I looked upwards to the sky noticing the sun rising up near the west. It was still way to early and Gaara could live without me for a while. "Sure" Naruto let out his famous grin and grabbed my hand. "Alright! Come on! I know a great place to hide!"

**/x/**

"This is your hiding place?" We sat on a roof top of one of the many building in the village. "Hehehe don't worry, Konohamaru would never even think of trying to find me in such an open space" 'Knohamaru? Hmm, where have I heard that name before?' I crossed my leg over the other, searching my mind for the name. "Hey Onee-chan, could you tell me about that scary teammate of yours?" I looked at the sky, it seemed as if it was going to rain seeing that grey clouds were slowly beginning to form.

"This may come to you as a shock, chibi-kun, but you and Gaara are more alike then you think" He stared, silently urging me to continue. "You see, just like you, Gaara has a Jinchuuriki inside him" His mouth gaped open but I didn't know if it was because I knew he had a demon in him or because there was someone else like him in the world. "But unlike you who may have had someone there for you before it was too late, Gaara was betrayed and hated by everyone around him... then I came along and stuck by him and never had let go. We met at a very young age and I saw him for the little lost boy he really was, not some demon that everyone had titled him"

Naruto stared at the horizon with a sad look, probably thinking back to that time for him. I took in a breath, trying not to let the forming tears drop in front of someone. Remembering what I was going to say next wasn't easy for me. "Someone who was very close to him betrayed Gaara's trust and from there on he became the Sabaku no Gaara he is today. It took me a while to get him to speak to him but for seven years I haven't seen my best friend smile or laugh. All I have left are old memories and a friend whose become an empty shell" I wiped my eyes with the back of my hands and let out a long, heavy sigh. "Wow that feels good to let out" I smiled over at the blonde who still looked sad. "Gaara-san is really lucky to have you Onee-chan. I don't know where I would be if I didn't have my friends"

The sun inched slowly across the sky and the sound of the village awakening could be heard below. "You must really like Gaara-san to stay next to him all this time huh?" I held back a laugh but the next one had come out. I laughed and laughed to the point where my stomach was in pain and tears of laughter slithered down my cheeks. Naruto just stared at me with confusion written over his face, shiny blue eyes looked down at me. When only soft giggle came out I looked at him and grinned, probably looking as if I was a madwoman. "Are you kidding? I don't like Gaara... I **love** him"

"Have you told him?" I shrugged my shoulders and fingered a lose string on my kimono. "I've told him kidding around but I could never actually tell him. Plus he despises the word" Naruto thought for a moment and then grinned, just as if the worlds greatest thought had appeared in his head. "You know what you could do? Before the final exams theres going to be a festival in celebration for those who made it to the finals! Why don't you bring him to that?" I laughed again but not as laughed as before. "Chibi-kun, do you not understand Gaara's character by now? He's not much of a people person"

Naruto grinned slyly, almost appearing like a cat and the markings on his face weren't helping the image of him in my mind. "I'm sure you can convince him. He allows you to get close to him, don't think I didn't see you guys before entering the first exam" I felt my neck heat up and make its way to my face. Gaara and I never did learn what personal space was so between the two of us we would always get up to each others faces, only centimeters away. To anyone who didn't know us, they would probably think we were lovers but the truth was we really weren't. "Naah, don't look at it the wrong way, we've always done that even when we were little. Most of the time we do that when were mad at each other"

"Well you guys must be mad at each other a LOT" He emphasized the last word. I narrowed my eyes and stared at the 13 year old kid who snickered away. What an interesting child indeed. "Fine, I'll try but I won't make any promises" The blonde grinned and shook my hand. I felt the presence of a new chakra, not big enough to be a threat, small enough to not be even a genin. "Hey boss! I found you!" Naruto leaped into the air, screeching his lungs out. I stared at him with a bored expression and then looked toward the voice.

"**YOU**!"

We pointed at each other. I recognize that face anywhere! "You guys know each other?" Naruto asked as he saw me holding the kid down in a choke hold, rubbing my knuckles on the top of the kids head. "Yeah we do. The brat called me a hag the other day when we had arrived" Naruto laughed loudly just until I glared at him "You know what? I've had enough action for today. Good luck tomorrow on the second exam, chibi-kun!" Before I had left the kid stuck his tongue out at me and me being the amazing role model I was, stuck my own tongue back at him.

Unknown to the genins up at the roof, neither of them noticed the swirl of sand that seemed to have disappeared into thin air.

**/x/**

"This is... a really big forest" I stated the obvious as I inclined my head, trying to get a better view of the large clumps of trees. I looked down at the paper which its small words were hard to make out until I got to the end. "Konohagakure is not responsible for your/teammates death or how the death is made such as: burning, ripping, plucked, torn, tortured, ect ect. Please sign on the bottom to continue into the Second Chunin Exams: The Forest of Death. If you do not sign then you will not be able to participate in the second exam" I scoffed and moved my bangs out off my eyes. Could they have put it anymore blunter? I scribbled my signature on the line and went with my team to turn it in. "Thank you. Here is your scroll" The chunin with a pair of glasses handed me a blue scroll.

Putting the scroll inside my obi I heard Kankuro say, "Hey are you sure its not going to fall from there?" I turned and gave him a grin and a peace sign. "Don't worry about it Kankuro, if it falls I'll just look for another one hehehe" His eyes slanted down and grumbled something about saying that was too easy. We followed the chunin to our gate, the number 42 was on the front, rusted and worn. "So how come your team has four members instead of three?" I looked over to the leaf ninja, whose glasses gleamed as he smiled, his eyes moved downwards though as I tugged the sides of my kimono leaving a bit to his imagination I presume. "Don't worry about that ok?" I winked at him and gave the nicest smile I could muster. "Just make sure you open our gate in time" He blushed furiously, the red looked as if it had been splashed on him. "Umi.. Behave" I lowered my gaze and looked over to Gaara who stood looking at the gate as he was willing it to open. I could sense his excitement to head in already and wrap his sand around someone.

"I'm always on my best behavior, Gaara-kun" Maybe my curtsy was a bit over dramatic but they were used to it. The clink of the chain brought my gaze back to gate and as soon as the chain fell and the door opened the slightest bit I was in the forest seconds later I could feel the chakra of my teammates. I smirked as I saw the mist of the other ninjas up in the sky.

**The second chunin exam had begun!**

**/x/**

**A/N**: I would like to thank those who have reviewed. I'm not the type to ask for stories to be reviewed, quite frankly I've grown out of that but those who actually spent those few seconds thank you VERY much :)


	6. Chapter 6

"So what do you think is in this scroll?" I narrowed my eyes into the group a few feet in front of me. "Man, I don't know and I don't want to find out. You heard what that crazy lady had said" The guy who held the scroll tossed it up in the air and grabbed it. "Still, it seems freaky that were not allowed to open it right?" His partner looked at him and punched the guys shoulder. "Just forget about it and help me find some food before Tsuki comes back, she'll throw a fit if she finds out we didn't find anything" They walked over closer to where I was hidden behind a tree. I moved my legs apart from each other, ready to spring up if anything were to happen. "Hey, did you see that kid from the sand?" One said. "Which? The red headed one?" The other replied. "Yeah, dude, tell me, did he not freak you out?" They stopped for a minute and picked at a bush, while they did the continued their conversation. "Yeah man, but even better was his little blue hair friend. She is hot!" One of them laughed and there was more rustling. "Haha yeah, it's always the freaks that get the hot chicks"

"I would appreciate it if you didn't call my friend a freak" I stepped out from behind the tree. The one that spoke first had long, shoulder length orange hair and held a kunai that was ready to be thrown. "H-hey! Where did you come from?" I stretched my shoulders, cracking each one without breaking eye contact with him. "From my mother. Now, seeing that you have the same scroll as I do, I was waiting for you two to pass but hearing that word come out of your mouth just pissed me off" He cringed as I cracked my neck. "W-were sorry, we didn't mean to-" I held a kunai in my mouth and had one in each hand. "You should have thought about that sooner"

/**愛**/

His turquoise eyes moved over to the right and stared into my own. "Where have you been?" I walked over to him and showed him the bottom of my kimono. "You, mister, are buying me a new kimono" The bottom had ripped and various parts were splayed with blood. Not only that, one of the men had attacked me head on and when I had moved his kunai had sliced the shoulder part which had left me without the left sleeve. "You look like you were just mauled by a tiger" Kankuro added, taking in my appearance but I didn't move. I continued looking at Gaara noticing how tense he was, of course, being stuck with him for so many years I knew him better than his siblings and I had just done the dumbest thing ever. I had shown him blood.

"What happened though?" We continued walking north, towards the tower. "Some idiot called Gaara-kun a freak and I can't stand that word" I mumbled the last part. "Did it bug you so much you had to kill them?" I sighed heavily, hoping he caught the drift. What was this? 20-questions? "Yes Kankuro, I killed the two guys because they used the F-word, so now you two know not to use it alright?" He nodded and stayed quiet. After a few minutes I saw three swirls of different colored mist's heading our way so I moved closer to Gaara and said to his ear, "We have company" He nodded and said, "Let them come, **_he's_** getting restless" It didn't even take two full minutes before some rain ninja(**?**) had appeared in front of us. "Huh? Do you believe the nerve of these sand ninja? They knew we were here but yet it's as if asking to challenge us head on!" The one in the front, I'm guessing the leader, said.

'Great, I hope I don't get even bloodier then I already am!' One of them in the back, the skinnier one said, "Yeah their a bunch of fool's!" I stuck my tongue out at them, showing them how much of a 'fool' a really was. Gaara was ready though, his hands were crossed in front of his chest and his eyes screamed out murder. "Too bad kids, you should have picked your opponents better, now you're all gonna die!" The leader said and boy, he did not know what he was getting into. "I've heard enough out of you, let's make this quick, I don't want to waste time on this guy" The guy in the front looked mad now but I knew what was coming at him. "Hey Gaara, doesn't it make more sense to follow these punks and gather information first? I-I mean, if they have the same type of scroll as us then were just fighting an unnecessary battle" Kankuro said but Gaara hadn't even turned and acknowledge him. "I don't care" Gaara said which apparently had gotten the attention of the leader.

"They looked at me the wrong way so their going to die" I couldn't help but roll my eyes to that. I knew the only reason he said that was because he was such a child that used the funniest excuses to explain the things they did. The leader made a grunting noise and grabbed hold of the umbrellas that were on his back. "If you think you can kill us then try it!" His umbrellas flew up into the air and hovered there, looking like flowers that stood frozen in time. "Now, Ninja Art: Senbon Rainstorm!" He made a hand seal and just as quick the umbrellas began spinning and senbons rained down. I moved a little closer to Gaara as the sand moved around under his feet and mine. The needles now moved around us in a flurry and I barely could hear the guy mumbling, "Up, down, left, right. No matter where go I can get you! There's no blind spot in this jutsu and it's deadly accurate!" I just smirked as I saw the needles head right towards us.

"Ha! Child's play!" He yelled out. "Tsk, tsk, tsk" I made the noise with my tongue as I shook my head. He had mumbled a 'what?' when he heard me. The dust began to clear out and he appeared shocked when he saw the little egg shaped dome that covered the both of us. I shot him a playful grin and said, "You shouldn't have done that" Gaara hadn't moved an inch and just said, "Is that all you can do?" Scars, my little nickname for him, took a step back probably from shock. "Impossible! Not one wound... Alright" He made another hand seal and shot a few more needles only in resulting it to be blocked by the sand. "A senbon rainstorm huh? I have an idea, lets make it rain blood instead" Scar's looked at us and yelled out in astonishment, "He's created a wall of sand!"

Kankuro turned so that he faced the leader and said, "That's right. It's a defense and nothing can get through it. He carries it in that gourd of his that he has on his back and when he's attacked, he uses the power of chakra to harden the sand. Any attacks are doomed to fail" The small dome started lowering and accumulated to our feet. "Yeah, well we'll see!" Kankuro closed and eye and said, "Just face it. You guys can't defeat Gaara" Scar's grumbled and said, "Give me a break!" Scars had decided to attack us straight on and what a mistake that was. While we stood there, with me grinning like the fool I was and Gaara glaring at the man with all the hate he could muster, Gaara brought his hands together and made a triangle. "Sand Coffin!" He brought his hand out and when the ninja took another step, the sand wrapped around his foot and slithered up his body.

Soon he was encased in sand and the only thing that was visible was his face. The umbrellas shot down from the sky and wrapping his hand around one, he brought it up and had it cover the both of us. "Hey! Let me go!" I sighed and drummed on my elbow. "I hate how they all say the same thing" Gaara moved his arm to the right and the cocoon of sand rose. "You know, I could just cover your mouth and be done with you but that would be to easy and too boring" The man screamed out but we all knew it was to late, once Gaara was in this stage there was nothing that could stop him. His arm continued to rise until it was well above his head. Once he had gotten up a certain distance Gaara took one look at his victem and closed his hand saying, "Sand Burial!" Not leaving the ninja to finish his last breath, the case enclosed on his body, exploding him from the inside. Blood splattered around us like rain leaving the now dead ninjas teammates to shock to even speak.

"There wasn't any pain; I crushed him with more force then necessary so it was over quickly. The corpse's bitter, crimson tears flow endless through my hand, feeding the chaos within me. You're making me stronger" I looked at the back of his head and wrapped my arms around me. I hated when he talked like that, he had his moments where he would say things that didn't seem to fit right in this world. The remaining two ninjas still had not gotten rid of their shock until the skinnier one reached behind him and laid out the scroll on the ground. "Here, just take the scroll. Go on, here" I turned my head not wanting to see the rest. Their screams and pleas were enough to make me shiver. "Hey we got lucky, its a heaven scroll, alright now lets head to the tower" I sighed out of relief, finally happy to go to the tower and rest but when I turned to Gaara he was looking to his left and that's when I saw it.

Three mist's were rising through the air and they were in a frenzy meaning they've been here this whole time. "Just shut up. Its still not enough for me" Kankuro smirked. "Come on Gaara let's go" Gaara glared at him. "What are you? Scared? Coward" Kankuros eyes narrowed as he walked towards his younger brother. "Look Gaara, I know this test is no problem for you but it's dangerous for Temari, Umi, and me. One set of scrolls is good enough, it's all we need to pass" Gaara raised his hands and held it towards the bush where the three were. "Losers can't tell me what to do" Kankuro growled and grabbed Gaaras sash. "Alright! Sometimes you have to listen to what your big brother tells says!" 'Oh dear, this isn't going to end well' "It's too bad I don't consider you my big brother at all. If you get in my way... I'll kill you" I stepped in closer and gently pried off Kankuros hand, earning looks from both boys. "Chibi-kun, I think that's enough"

He stared at me and without wavering his eyes he shot his hand out towards the bush. Sand raised and swirled around his hand, I could even hear the whimpers of the team that hid. I brought his face towards me and stared him down. "It's... enough" The sand in his hand turned into a cork and he placed it on his gourd. "Let's go" He turned and I trailed behind him, holding on to his sash. When I had looked back, the three mists had moved farther and farther away from us. "You know Gaara-kun, your never going to make friends like that" I mumbled staring ahead. "... When we get to the tower I want you to play something for me" I smiled and flicked one of his hairs. "Anything you want, chibi-kun"

A/N: Hmm, this seemed longer when I typed it x3 hahaha this is from the Naruto Episode 34, that's where I got this scene and I'm not too keen on writing action scenes because quite frankly I'm not good at them. I think there's like 4 in total in this whole story lol but anyhow, I hope you enjoyed! :)


	7. Chapter 7

/**愛**/

_"Chibi-kun, why do you allow them to say those things to you?" His large eyes that held childish innocence turned to me but they were happy as they glinted like a Jade gem in the sun. "Because I don't care what they say about me anymore! I have you now and we'll always be together right?" I smiled and hugged the little boy who giggled and hugged back. "Your too cute to be alone"_

"Hey, is there anywhere I can take a shower?" The leaf ninja stared at me with amusement but I wasn't up to it today. I needed a shower NOW. "Sure follow me" I took of my shoes and followed him up the tower and into a hallway on the third floor. "You guys got here early, you know. You still have four days" I glared at his back as we continued to walk. Did it look like I cared? "Here we are. There's a bathtub in there and you turn on the water with the handle at the end of the room. To turn off the water just pull it down a second time. I'll be waiting out here until you finish" I took my book bag and forehead protectoroff and walked in the medium sized bathroom. All four walls were white and had a bathtub to the left of the room.

Dropping everything on the floor I pulled the handle and let the water consume the tub, a sleepy mist slowly covered the small room. When the tub was full enough, I jumped in and dunked my head under the warm water which instantly relaxed my body. Stretching out my sore limbs I rested my head against the wall and closed my eyes...

_"You know, that's not fair" The little eight year old me pouted. "Using your sand is cheating, chibi-kun" She looked at the sand castle, more like sand palace, the little six year old Gaara had built. Next to his, her sand castle looked more like a dump then somewhere to live in. "I like yours Umi-chan" Gaara gave her a smile and made little figurines on top of her little mound of sand. "Look thats you," He pointed out to a little lump on top of the castle, "and thats me" He pointed next to the little lump which had another lump of sand but this one had short hair. "And this is our castle and no one elses" She stared at the two little figures that were close together and stood proud on top of the small castle. "But what about everyone else? Your siblings, your uncle?" I wouldn't dare mention his father but he seemed sad though as the sand swirled around place. "No, its ok. I only need you Umi-chan"_

I wiped the tears out of my eyes and sighed. Such sad little words from such a little child. "Why do you cry over the past?" I turned to my left and stared out the window, not wanting to look at him. "What? Do you want to take a bath with me? If not you could kindly wait outside" His gourd dropped with a thud and the sound of zips came from him. I brought my knees to my chest as his feet disappeared in the water. "You didn't answer my question" I brought my bangs back and looked up at him, fresh new tears coming down. "Do you remember that day you made little figures on the sand castle I had made? You said that you only needed me right? How the hell am I not supposed to cry when you were six years old and didn't have one damn person other than me to care for you? We know very well that Yashamaru doesn't cut it because he turned out to be a traitor at the end!" His eyes narrowed at the name of his deseased uncle.

"Back then and now has not changed. You and I are what matter" Gaara said, face stotic as ever. "You know I don't like it when you say those things" I mumbled as I took the soap and washed my arms, dried blood was still smeared in some places. "You don't say it but your afraid of me" I stopped and looked over to him, this time he stared back. "No, no, no Gaara-kun what are you talking about? I am no-" He glared at me and from the corner of my eye I could see the gourd shaking angrily. "Don't lie to me. Your just as scared as Kankuro and Temari. Don't tell me today or any other time you have seen me kill, you didn't see the monster inside me" I waded my way towards him and grabbed his face bringing it down towards me, my knees held me steady as I kneeled in front of him. My lips brushed his kanji, some would mistake it for a tattoo but I knew better.

It was a scar more than a tattoo, a scar that would never disappear. "Theres a huge difference between afraid and dislike chibi-kun. I am not afraid of you, I dislike how the monster in you has taken over your soul and turned you into what you are. I am not afraid when you kill, I dislike when you do" I whispered into his forehead, cradeling the red head on me. "Your still such a child chibi-kun, you haven't yet opened your eyes yet and seen whats really in front of you" I sighed and dropped down deeper into the water until it skimmed my mouth. He stared straight ahead and glared out the window, probably mad at me now for calling him a child. He stood up and grabbed his shoes and placed his feet in them. He walked over to where my kimono laid on the white tile floor and picked it up, looking at the blood stains on the bottom of it.

"These stains... You fought these ninjas yourself... and all because they said a word you didn't like" I grabbed a towel that hanged on the towel rack and wrapped it around my body. "You perfectly know that its always been like that even since we were children. I just can't stand that word" I mumbled as I looked through my book bag for a new kimono. He didn't speak yet still held the piece of cloth in his hand, he had finally figured out that I wasn't to keen on talking with him right now. "This is new" He said and when I turned he looked me up and down with hungry eyes. "Hey, stop looking at me like I'm at piece of meat and what do you mean this is new?" I glared at him making him stop giving me such a hungry stare. His arms moved and crossed over his chest, his eyes intently on me.

"You're mad at me" I scoffed and turned around making my back face him. I slid my arms through the new kimono, the white contrasted the blue of my hair but it was tighter than my now ruined one which makes it easier to battle in. "Tell me that you are" I was surprised to hear myself growl and let loose a few curses at him. "Your not making this any easier, Gaara-kun" I said as I tied my obi and tore some slits on the sides of my legs and cutting off the long sleeves. Using the towel which now laid at my feet I ran it through my hair and rubbed it against my head trying to dry it the most I could. When I lifted my head I let out a squeak of a scream. He stood in front of me, head cocked to the side, forehead creased. "I have never seen you mad at me" Still shaken from the sudden closeness I couldn't utter a word. "Do it again" My mouth opened and stayed open as I looked at him.

He wasn't serious right? While contemplating on what to do I couldn't help but laugh and laugh more until I was clutching my stomach from the laughing cramps I was getting. With the back of my hands I wiped my eyes and when I looked at him I grinned. "God, you are so innocent you know that right?" He glared at me when I had called him 'innocent' but I just took his hand and pressed my lips on the inside of it. "My Gaara, you have so much to still learn about" I stared at him when his eyes showed confusion and I smiled noticing that he hadn't shown this emotion in a while. I turned to bite his thumb but the sand stopped me before I even got to his finger. I kissed it instead and said, "Hmm, maybe this demon of yours isn't so bad after all" I moved my hand over his wrist and traced a vein line down his arm. "See? He allows me to touch you but if I tried to harm you he'll interfere" I whispered against his skin. "But I want to be able to feel pain" I frowned.

He had told me that before and I had yelled at him telling him that he shouldn't say things such as that and then I had explained to him what it felt like and why we try to avoid it as much. "You have felt pain and I'm sure that you didn't enjoy it" My fingers had reached his shoulder and moved over to his chest and over where his heart would be. "Remember that time when we were in my house and Ongaku-chan jumped towards you? The sand shot out and had thrown her to the wall, killing her right? Well when we buried her what did you tell me?" I traced a heart over his chest and drew a line right down the middle. "You said you felt pain right here. There's many ways on how you can feel pain but this one is the worst" I sighed and moved away from him, intent on finishing up and taking a nap I placed the three scrolls on my back and my book bag on my shoulder.

I opened the the door and noticed something odd. "Gaara-kun, did you happen to kill him?" I cocked my head to the side as I stared at the ninja on the ground, blood had splattered all around the opposite wall. "I caught him looking inside the room when you were changing" I moved my head to the other side and made a small humming noise through my throat. "Hmm, he did keep looking at me strangely" I skipped over the body and sighed. "I was gonna ask him if there were spare rooms or not but apperantly that isn't going to happen" I mumbled and began my journey in finding a room all the mean while, Gaara walked behind me silently looking more like a shadow behind me than anything else.

A/N: Does Gaara seem sort of OC here? I'm well aware on what his personality is but I got to thinking. He's known this girl almost his whole life so shouldn't he have a different type of personality around her? Well if you, as the reader, don't like how he acts here then just shoot me a review and I'll make sure to change him in the next one :) Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey chibi-kun!" I ran over to the blonde and pounced on him from behind. "Onee-chan! You made it" I made a face that made him laugh and said, "Well of course I did, I was more worried that you weren't going to get here" The Leaf genins stood before me as I talked with Naruto, some of them stared probably wondering why a Sand Genin was being so friendly with a Leaf and others minded their business. "Well, who's this we have here?" I turned to see a Jounin with white hair held up in a weird fashion and his face was covered all but the right eye. "Hey Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled out walking towards, apparently, his sensei. "Look sensei, this is Umi... Umi...-" "Muryo, Umi Muryo" I said, seeing as I hadn't told Naruto my last name he needed a bit of help there. "Nice to meet you, Umi-san. I'm Kakashi Hatake" His eye closed, forming a half moon and I felt my cheeks heat up.

'Why can't Baki-sensei look like that?' I pouted at the thought, thinking back to my own teacher. "So I see you're from the sand?" He questioned. "Yes I am. Been there my whole life" I grinned and he chuckled but was interrupted by another Jounin who seemed kind of ... sickly. "If you will all gather arou-*cough, cough*nd and get into your teams, I will explain what will be *cough, cough* happening" Kakashi waved and moved over behind the hokage as I made my way to where my team was formed in line. "Hey Umi-san, who was that you were talking to?" Temari whispered from behind me. "That was the blonde kid's sensei. Isn't he cute?" I whispered back. This was one of the few times I had actually spoken to her but we spoke from time to time, glad that there was another female in the group. "Well I can't really say since I can't see his face but from the looks of it he has a really nice body" I giggled softly and nodded, not taking my eyes of the Jounin who seemed to be stuck with those coughs.

"Right? If only he lived in Sunagakure, he would have been mine already" I heard her giggle softly behind me. "What do you think of that Uchiha kid? He's a total hottie" I sneaked a peek over at the Uchiha who held the side of his neck. "He's alright but not as hot as his sens-" Gaara turned around into a 45 degree angle and with a deadly whisper he said, "Be quiet, both of you" I smirked, knowing my friend oh too well. I tugged on his left sleeve and leaned next to his ear, "Jealousy is a good look on you, Gaara-kun" He didn't answer back though but continued to listen to the Procter. "Now the first two contestants to battle will be shown on the board" Everyone's eyes turned to the board and with much anticipation the names scrambled around until two names were written on the board.

Sasuke Uchiha vs. Akado Yoroi

The two stepped down unto the platform and the proctor began speaking but all I can remember is them starting then.. Nothing.

/**愛**/

"Umi-san! Umi-san are you ok?" _Was it I who groaned? What was it with this killer headache?_ Something slid around me and I felt my body being lifted off the ground but was supported by it. "What happened here?" An unknown voice asked. "I don't know, one minute she's fine and standing and the next minute she fell unconscious" _Aah wait isn't that Temari's voice?_"Umi-san can you try opening your eyes?"_Noo, I don't want too_I shook my head but quickly regretted it because my temples began to pulse. "I don't think she'll be able to fight if she can't even open her eyes" The voice said again. "No, I want to" I blinked once then twice and opened my eyes slowly. My team, the proctor, and some guy who was wearing white hovered over me. "You guys are to close to mee" I whined noticing the tense atmosphere. I looked downwards to see sand holding me up and with a smile I fell on top of it, resting my head on it.

"Are you sure you can *cough, cough* fight?" The proctor who was right in front of me asked. I nodded not really wanting to stand up. "Hey Onee-chan! Come on! I wanna see you fight!" I winced at the loud yell but it made me laugh, that Naruto can sure be interesting. I looked over to the scoreboard and I could clearly see,

Muryo Umi vs Ushi Ryuu

I grinned and asked, "So who's the unlucky guy?" Someone coughed and when I looked down to the platform a guy stood there with his arms crossed against his torso which was wrapped in bandages and black shorts that reached until his knees, the parts that weren't covered by his shorts were also wrapped in bandages. His spiky red hair was gelled up and his forehead protector was tilted to the side on his face, the indention of the Village of the Mist shone on the metal plate. "Oh wow, you are cute" I mumbled as the sand brought me up and placed me down on the platform. He smirked and shrugged, "Your not bad yourself, too bad we were chosen to fight each other" I nodded and stood on my own two feet allowing the sand to return back to its owner.

"Well it seems that your *cough, cough* able to fight so you may *cough, cough* begin" I looked over to my opponent as we got in a fighting stance. "I believe it's correct for ladies to go first" I blinked a few times and now it was my time to shrug. "Well if you insist" I stood and made a hand seal, the smell of ocean water became heavy in the large room. "Is that all you can do? Freshen up the room?" While I concentrated the million pieces of chakra in the room I moved more of it towards Gaara who inhaled deeply and had let it out slowly. "You see, I'm what you call a protector of some sort and you see my teammate over there? The redheaded one?" He turned for a second to look at Gaara who made eye contact with my opponent who seemed to have frozen in place. "Now that you know who I'm talking about, he and I protect each other. Unfortunately for you, Gaara-kun is a bit more harsh than I am so if you as so much lay a finger on me and live.. Let's just say you won't live for long after were finished"

Ryuu tried to move but his muscles twitched against the action. "Hey! W-why can't I move?" I grinned as I took the smallest scroll out of the three that I carried on my back and held it in front of him. "Right now, this smell has infiltrated your body and has blocked all the messages to your brain that your body sends it. So right now I'm in control of your mind" I opened the scroll and with a few hand seals there was a large puff of smoke and in my hands a chestnut colored violin had replaced the scroll. "I hope you can dance because this is going to be an exciting moment!" I grinned and bowed to my opponent all the while placing the violin on the side of my neck and the bow on top of the strings. The bow sliced on the first string and with a hop on one foot I commenced the song. The sound of the strings rolled around him and with another twitch of his muscles he copied my move. "Ah! There we go! Now follow along"

I turned my body and swung my head, moving my body to the beat of the song. The cheery song had me moving and as I danced I turned towards him but this time I could feel the evil expression on my face deepen and the grin grow wider. "Now that you've danced let's get this over with" Bowing again and for the last time, the sound of the violin deepened to the point were it almost sounded like a cello, its strings trembled as I skimmed the bow over the strings and that's when I heard it. His scream bellowed out of his throat as he gripped his head in between his hands. He kneeled down and his screams sounded somewhat gurgled and that's when I saw blood spurting from his mouth. "Aww, don't worry I'm almost finished" I smiled and danced around him.

When I noticed his chakra lowering to the point I couldn't feel it, the violin disappeared and I stood in front of him. His ears were bleeding; his eyes were puffed up into an abnormal shape. I placed my hands in front of his face and lowered my hands in a quick motion. He dropped down onto the floor quickly without a sound. I cocked my head to the left and touched his neck. "Hmm, I was pretty sure it wasn't going to kill him" I mumbled and shrugged. "What a waste, he really WAS cute" I looked over at the proctor who was still staring at me. "Well, aren't you going to call it?" He looked from me to the body on the floor and then back at me. "Muryo Umi is the winner" I clapped my hands together and smiled. "Yay!" I skipped up the stairs humming a tune and my teammates stood there with smirks on their face.. Well everyone but Gaara of course. "Good job Umi-san" Temari said, nodding her head in approval. "Didn't expect anything less of you" Kankuro commented.

I thanked them for their comments but I looked over to Gaara who looked out unto the platform. I grabbed his sash and pulled it making him walk towards me. "Are you proud of me, chibi-kun?" Due to how short he is he looked up at me and said, "You did fine" I grinned, accepting the compliment from him and playing with the sides of the white sash I whispered in a low voice only for him to hear. "How about you? You know if you start losing control I'm going to have to step in right?" I could feel his glare on my head. "You will not interfere in my fight" I cocked my head to the right and leaned forward, my nose touched his. "Well you're going to have to not lose control unless you want me to step in" I whispered and looked into his sea-foam colored eyes. Our eyes remained connected until the sound of the board began jittering again and once it stopped my breathing hitched for a moment.

Gaara vs Rock Lee

A/N: Her fighting didn't come out as amazing as I thought but then I got to thinking, her role in life is to be Gaara's protector right? So her fighting isn't really _THAT_ important but no worries fellow readers, I promise that things will get much more interesting soon :) Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!


	9. Chapter 9

/**愛**/

"Oh this is not going to end well" I mumbled as I leaned on the rail which allowed me to look down at the two. Gaara stood there watching Lee as he made attempts to get through his sand defence but obviously it wasn't working. Lee jumped and landed far away from Gaara, probably thinking what else he could do. "Is that all? Let me enjoy this a little more... There's not enough blood" I sighed and ruffled my hair. "That's my chibi-kun for you" I mumbled as I saw the sand move towards Lee and he jumped in an attempt to get away but the sand wrapped around Lee's foot and threw him across the room against a wall.

He rolled away just in time as the sand came at him again and when he stood Gaara's sand didn't give him time to breath in as it came at him in a flash. Lee doged it with a series of back flips and once he did about his sixth one the sand slid under where his foot landed and made him slip. Quickly recovering, Lee jumped up to the stone hands statue and crouched there, looking at Gaara and contemplating his next move. "Lee, take them off!" I looked over to Lee's (freaky) sensei who had given him the thumbs up. "But, Gai-sensei, I thought that was only permitted when protecting many important people"

"I don't care! I will allow it!" His sensei yelled and even winked at him. _'Eww'_ As I looked at Gai there was this loud noise and a gust off wind that almost blew me back. "No way! He's crazy!" Temari yelled. I whipped around to look at Lee and saw two large dents in the ground right below him and then... He disappeard? Gaara's eyes widen as Lee appeared from nowhere and had actually penetrated through the sand! Lee kicked him at the top right side and it made Gaara actually move to the side. "Oh shit, oh shit!" I gripped the rail as I looked on at Lee's series of kicks and punches, each one going a bit further in.

At one point Lee rolled upwards in a quick motion and when he came down he brought his leg with him and it hit on Gaara's head, scratching his cheek. "Gaara!" _'Why did my cheek hurt? Why am I crying?' _My thoughts swam around my head as I put a foot on the railing, ready to jump in but a hand held me back. "Temari what are you doing?" I yelled at her but she wasn't looking at me, her face was set in a hard grimace. "Remember the plan, if this was to happen to Gaara, then it was meant to be" I looked away from her to the ongoing fight. Lee ran up to Gaara and planted his fist to Gaara's left cheek, throwing the red head back into the ground.

"Hey... What's happening?" I looked towards Gaara who was slowly standing and what seemed to be.. laughing? He looked up, 3/4 of his face was encased in sand and he was grinning, something never before seen on Gaara's lips. The sand went up to Gaara and repaired its 'armor' or so we called it. "See? He's fine" Temari said. I touched my pulsing cheek and stared at my childhood friend, his expression was back to being unreadable. "No, he's not ok" Lee ran up to him and from the bottom he kicked Gaara up in the air with a series of kicks. My ear's pulsed when I heard Gaara grunt and when Lee had wapped his bandages around Gaara and Gaara's head made impact on the ground my head vibrated in pain.

I could almost feel the same thought pass thorugh Kankuro, Temari, and I when Gaara rose, chuckling. _'The monster within him has awaken'_ The two fought around, mostly Gaara attacking and Lee dodging that is until Lee stood and the gravity around him seem to warp as rocks flew up to the ceiling and in just a few quick seconds he brought his arm down, his skin now a maroon-ish color. From then on, everything seemed to happen in a blur to quick for my eyes and my mind to follow.

Gaara was thrown up into the air, his body was kicked everywhere, not sticking in one place for to long, until Lee wrapped his bandages around Gaara's body and thrusted his fist down on Gaara's body. "GAARA!" I yelled out as I covered my face from the oncoming debris. "Hey what is that?" I heard Naruto question. I looked over to Gaara whose sand had taken the impact when he had hit the ground, his arm was raised ready to deliver his final attack. The sand crawled towards Lee and right in front of us a large hand molded itself from the sand and moved towards him as he desperately moved away.

But even that wasn't enough. The sand coiled around its left arm and foot and before anything happened the pain was visable on Lee's face. "Gaara! No! Stop! You don't need to fight anymore!" My screams didn't help because I knew his mind was set on it. "Desert Coffin!" Lee's blood curtiling scream rang through the room as he crashed into the floor, unconsious. "GAARA!" I jumped off the railing just as the wave of sand was near Lee and landed on the floor, not to gracefully might I add, and ran towards the dent on the ground where the ends of red hair peaked. I ran over to him and covered his head with my arms, encasing us in a dark cacoon where only he and I were in. "Chibi-kun, you need to stop, please" It was hot and our heavy breathes hit each other but this was truly the only way to get him to calm down in this state.

I heard the noise of the sand die of and when we looked over Gai stood in front of Lee, a very serious look on his face. Gaara clutched his head in pain and his heavy breaths hitched. "Why...? Why did you help him?" Gai looked on at us and said, "He's... an important subordinate I love!" Gaara looked on confused. I sniffled as I felt my cheeks were getting watery and looked up at Gaara and hit his chest. "You asshole! You had me worried!" I cried out and then clutched at the ends of his shirt with my two hands.

The sand started forming into its original gourd shape and lifting me up with him he walked towards where Temari and Baki are and said, "I quit" I gasped when I looked up at him. I had never heard those words come out of him and as we walked I heard a collective gasp go along the room and Gai said, "It can't be" We stopped and turned and my eyes widen when I saw Lee barely standing, his whole body shaking. Gai made his way over to Lee and grabbed his shoulders.

"Lee, it's ok. It's over. You shouldn't stand up... Lee... you... you're..." My hand lifted up to my mouth subconsiosly as I saw his eyes. "Are you trying to prove your way of the ninja even after you have lost consciousness?" Gai gazed at his student with tears in his eyes and said, "Lee.. you are already an excellent ninja" I wiped my tears as we continued walking and through them I saw a blur of orange pass by us. Without stopping we walked until the sand wrapped around us, moving us next to Temari. "Good to have you back Gaara" She said, probably relieved that he hadn't gone too far.

And through the whole time, just until the last fight was finished I did not let go of him, afraid that if I did...

He wouldn't be the Gaara I loved.

**A/N:** God I hate these fight scenes! xD I literally have to go back to the episode and write down to how it fits the story lol but oh well anything to get this up and going :) By the way, sorry for the long wait D: I just started an Itachi fanfic called "Dragon Peach" and I can't stop writing! Ideas are always coming to me! But just as I released the third chapter TODAY I remembered this story so in just a mere 2 hours I finished and now published this one! :D haha Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed it!


	10. Chapter 10

Temari and Kankuro sat around their room bored now that all they had been doing for the past four and a half weeks was train or do nothing at all. Tomorrow was the final exams but tonight was the festival so the whole town had been awake and alive since early this morning. What surprised (and frightened) the two was the screams that erupted from next door to their room and one of the screams was very familiar.

Umi's.

They rushed towards the room and they tried opening the door but noticed it was locked. "Umi-san! What's wrong?" It was as if Kankuro's yell had gone unheard when she screamed again but this time she yelled afterwards, "Chibi-kun! Stop being a baby and get your ass over here!" The two siblings looked at each other dumbfound and flinched when they heard a vase being thrown at the wall near the door. "Get away from me!" What could she possibly doing to Gaara that it would make him scream at her in sheer terror?

The two were suddenly scared and backed away to the opposite wall and sat down, close enough to hear them yelling. "Ahh! I swear!" Umi yelled and grunted; her body landed on something hard. "GET OFF ME UMI!" Nails scrapped on the wooden floor and the siblings silently declared that was Gaara who was being dragged across the floor. "Ha! Now that I got your shirt off are you going to take your pants off or should I do that for you?" Gaara growled and threw something again, this time sounding more heavy then a vase.

"Fine! Have it your way!" Sounds of crashes and cloth tearing were heard outside and after a few seconds everything went quiet that is until Umi cooed, "Aww, Chibi-kuuun, look at you!" Temari and Kankuro looked over at each other but they quickly looked over to the door when they heard teeth snap and Umi yelp. "Hey baka! Watch it!" All they heard was Gaara growling back and the lock unclick. "Now listen to me Gaara-kun, stay in that for just a few hours and I promise you will never have to wear it again ok?"

Gaara's growling intensified but even if it sounded menacing Umi just giggled and opened the door. She seemed surprised to see the two siblings sitting against the wall but they were more surprised at her appearance. The front of kimono was ripped in all sorts of places and her hair looked as if it had gone through a sandstorm and survived. "Hey guys, what are you doing here?" Kankuro gulped loudly when he peeked inside the room. Everything was a mess.

The bed was turned sideways and the curtain was barely hanging, some of the wood on the floor was ripped off and there was water splattered all over the floor. "W-what happened?" Temari questioned as she too looked into the room. Umi looked at them and then smiled as if she had just won a gold medal for something. "Tell Baki-sensei that Gaara and I will not be training today. We will be attending the festival later on tonight" Her smile turned smug as she turned and walked away. As the two looked away from her they approached the room again this time the image wasn't something they were used to.

On the wall opposite of them, Gaara sat at the corner where the shadows covered his body and had his knees pressed against his chest, his bare toes peeking out from the light coming from window. "Hey G-gaara, you ok?" Gaara glared at the two who stood by the door and sand appeared from his broken gourd. It quickly turned into a wave of sand as it made its way towards them. Kankuro closed the door and they both ran into their rooms panting heavily.

"I swear I don't know who's crazier: Gaara or Umi?"

**/****愛****\**

"Do…Not…Touch…Me" I let out an angry sigh and leaned on the building. "Gaara-kun, you can't hide from people forever. What happened this morning is not going to waste so you are coming with me whether you like to or not" I said in a low voice, almost as if I were talking to a spooked animal except this was no animal, this was my best friend. I could hear him growling even though all I could see were his eyes.

"Whatever gave you the idea that I want to come to a festival?" I ran a hand through my hair that, for once, was out of its buns and was let loose. "Well, I thought we could do something different for a change, just this once… Please" I widen my eyes the best I could and pouted my lips. A flash of green blurred and next thing I knew Gaara's face was centimeters from mine, lips were in their usual line but his eyes showed me another story. "One hour and then we leave" I grinned and hugged him quickly, pulling him out of the dark alley and into the mob of people.

"You better hold on to me chibi-kun" I winked at him as I saw his eyes widen the slightest bit. The streets were adorned with lights and booths were set up each selling a different thing. Children ran past them with sparklers, yelling and giggling without a care in the world. "I wish Suna had festivals like this" I mumbled to myself. Sunagakure was not as active as Konohagakure and surely didn't have festivals like the ones here.

Throughout the whole year there was about three in total and those I had visited with my mother while Gaara followed us throughout the whole thing on the roofs. Most of the festivals in Suna were boring but here in Konoha it was… different. Everything just felt so alive and to have my best friend here alongside with me was a new experience. In just a few, short minutes I was holding a large pack of popcorn and a large green giraffe, Gaara (which I had to beg for him to do) held on to a pink and purple raccoon and two medium sized packs of cotton candy. "How did you get all of this in such a short time?"

I grinned over my shoulder and said, "Don't worry about it, why don't you just take the advantage tonight that you're actually taller than me eh?" I laughed at the expression he put. One thing that definitely annoyed him was our height issue. Like any man he always declared that he needed to be the taller one because he was the man to which I always countered saying I was two years older than him and girls always mature faster than boys.

In both mental and physical states.

"Bring in another Ojii-san!" An unmistakable voice yelled out. "Hey Gaara-kun, wait here ok?" I put the items on the bench and quickly moved towards the voice. "Hey! I knew it was you!" His blonde head stopped bobbing and when he turned around and grinned, a ramen noodle was laying on his cheek. "Hey Onee-chan!" Naruto greeted me with a wave and said, "Do you like the festival so far?" He turned around and continued eating his ramen not yet waiting on me to reply. I sat on the little chair next to him and shook my head when the cook asked me if I wanted ramen.

"I love it so far! Even better, I actually got Gaara-kun to come with me" I said happily but noticed when I said Gaara's name Naruto had stopped eating and was just staring at his bowl. "Him huh? Because of him, Bushy Brows might never be a shinobi again" My eyes lowered to the counter, suddenly finding a fasination with the yellow colored desk. "I will say that Gaara-kun was out of line when he fought Lee but were still working on his control" Naruto glared into the bowl for a few seconds and continued eating and made a small shrug. "Whatever, your the one with him, I'd be careful if I were you" I smiled at the blonde and gave him a side hug.

"Thanks Chibi-kun but if you saw Gaara-kun now his image has changed greatly. It's not every day you see Sabaku no Gaara holding a bright colored, smiling racoon" I said as I walked out of the small restraunt, smiling when I heard him laughing. My smiled widen when I reached where Gaara was. He sat on the bench with his arms crossed angrily against his chest and a glare was set on my poor Giraffe. "What's wrong?" His eyes moved over to me then to the oddly colored doll. "Why would they make this animal green when that's not its actual color?" I laughed and patted his head, making the loose tendrils even wilder then they normally were.

"Who cares Gaara-kun? Just enjoy the day!" I grabbed our stuff and pulled him up. We made our way through the crowd of people, gliding easily past them and moved to a more secluded place where there were few people scattered. "This should be ok" I placed the stuffed animals next to me and sat down under a tree, Gaara decided that leaning against the tree was better then sitting on the ground. "The fireworks about to start so as soon as they finish I promise we can leave" I opened the bag of popcorn and for a few minutes we enjoyed silence and the crunch of popcorn.

That is until he asked something totally random.

"What are they doing?" I looked up from my popcorn bag and looked around trying to see what he meant. "Who?" He grabbed the top of my head and turned it around until I could barely make out two figures in the distance. "Ooh their kissing" He put his arm back against his chest and asked, "What is that?" _Was he really asking this? _I placed more popcorn in my mouth, thinking over how to explain this to him. "Well, kissing is what you do when, for example, you have a girlfriend" He continued to stare at the couple.

"Why would they do it though? It looks horrible" He said with no emotion whatsoever. "It's not horrible" I popped in more popcorn. "Have you done it before?" I looked to the side because I knew my cheeks were heating up. "No..." I shifted my foot. It was true though because none of the men in the village attracted me and the closest thing to kissing a guy that I ever got was when I kissed Gaara's cheek once when he was crying.

"Exactly, you wouldn't know then" I rubbed my eyes and looked up at him; a small glare went his ways. "What's with the sudden questions? If you're going to ask anyone it should be a guy. Go ask Kankuro" Gaara peered down at me and said, "I could care less what that idiot tells me. At least from you I know it's true" Knowing I couldn't get mad I just sighed and left it at that.

That is, until he asked again.

"Do friends kiss?" My palm hit my forehead at his questions. "Not... directly as their doing. Technically, I've kissed you multiple times" I grabbed one of the cotton candy bags and ripped it open, placing the sugary candy on my tongue. "So friends can't kiss like that but at the same time they can?" I shook my head and said, "Ok your making this more complicated than it really is. Look," I took his face into my hands and kissed his cheeks quickly, "that is a friend kiss alright? But what couples do is," I looked at his lips really fast and placed mine on his for just a few short seconds and then I looked back at him again, noticing how tense his lips were, "they kiss on the lips. Got it?"

He nodded and looked up, not talking for the rest of the night and that's when the fireworks began. The first one ripped into the air in colors of blue and pink, the next two were the Konoha symbol and a small diagram of the village. The next one was my personal favorite. Five Konoha symbols, four Suna symbols, and one Sound symbol glittered high in the air and I could hear the sounds of some of the villagers cheering, probably from having the most genins taking the final exam. Finished with my bag I stood and stretched, kind of sad the festival had ended. "Alright, lets pick everything up and head back to the hotel because I am tired and in need of another shower" I took hold of my giraffe and grabbed the other cotton candy bag. "Wait, can we buy souvenirs? I promised Okaa-san I would bring her something"

I said as we walked into the now almost empty streets. I hardly saw him nod but I just walked into the first store that was opened and began searching. I soon had everything I needed for not only my Okaa-san but for everyone in the team as well. I bought her a small doll that was playing a little toy piano, for Kankuro a small candy dispenser in the shape of a puppet and to take the candy out you need to pump its arms up and down. For Temari I bought a Japanese thread ball which had the same design her fan had.

"Did you get everything?" I nodded and showed him the bags. "Oh wait!" I yelled out quickly, remembering the last thing we had to do. I grabbed the first person on the street and asked, "Excuse me sir but could you take a picture of my friend and me?" The old man nodded and took the camera. "Come on Gaara-kun!" I placed the bags on the floor and jumped on his back, putting my fingers in his mouth and stretching so that it looked like a grin and made my own grin. "1, 2...3" The flash from the camera blinded me for a second but I quickly thanked the man and got the bags.

We arrived at the hotel and Gaara had disappeared some time ago so I climbed up the stairs on to the fourth floor and opened Kankuro and Temari's door. "Hey guys! I'm back!" The two looked towards me and noticed all the bags I carried in my arms. "Did you go on a shopping spree?" I looked over the bags for a second, doing a quick mental note, and then grinned as I made eye contact with them. "Actually, almost all of these things are for you guys" Their expressions were hilarious when I placed the bags on the table, taking out the things that were for them.

"I didn't forget about you guys" I laughed and let them inspect their things. "We'll I'm going to go take a shower and sleep. Tomorrow is a big day!" I turned and walked out of their room and into my shared room. "Are you ready for tomorrow?" I asked quietly. "Why wouldn't I be?" Shrugging I let the kimono fall to the floor and picked the maroon shirt off the bed. "I just have a bad feeling about it that's all" I walked into the bathroom, leaving him to his own thoughts while mine were just starting to form on the surface on my mind.

**A/N:** Hey everyone! I know I haven't posted in a while but I had actually lost faith in this story until I received a review and felt like writing more haha so here you go, six pages for you guys! :D Now, in one of the reviews a reader commented that Umi was a Mary Sue and if I could just point you guys towards chapter 8 and if you just skimmed it a little, tell me, wasn't there something odd? Also in chapter 9? So you see, Umi is in fact NOT a Mary Sue but all will be explained soon about her :) Thank you and hoped you enjoyed it!


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